A guide to the coins showing it's progression from being a persecuted religion to one of the world's biggest faiths

This guide is intended for those that are interested in Biblical history. I explore the coins from the lifetime of Jesus Christ, one known as the Widow's Mite, the Tribute Penny, the 30 Pieces of Silver, Pontius Pilate and much more. A Roman coin of Nero is also shown to illustrate one of the early persecutors of the Christian faith. We then move on to the coins of the spread of Christianity through the Roman empire. A coin of Nicaea is shown, which is from the specific city that the Council of Nicaea was held which made Christianity the way it is today. Moving forward I show you an ancient coin of Constantine the Great from the time of the Council of Nicaea. We explore the topic of "By this sign you shall conquer" and what the symbol looked and how it was placed on ancient Roman coins as the Chi-Rho, also known as the Christogram or Christ monogram. A coin of Saint Helena is shown, who did a lot for the spread of Christianity and also Constantine the Great's mother. From this point we move on to an example of the Christian cross on a small Roman coin. After which point, we see the depiction of Jesus Christ on bronze and gold coins of the Byzantine empire.

The different types of coins explored.

You will see the various different types of ancient biblical, Roman and Byzantine medieval coins as the story of early Christianity progresses from ancient times. After each section, if there is an article that goes into more depth regarding the subject, a link is given for you to explore. Clicking on the coin pictures will take you to a page searching my eBay store for the subject of interest. The goal of this guide is to introduce more people to the fascinating topic of ancient coin collecting, and at the same time allowing to research the types that are available.

Alexander Jannaeus (Yehonatan) - Jewish King of the Hosmonean Kingdom 103-76 B.C.E. - Bronze 'Prutah' 15mm (1.62 grams) mint of Jerusalem 103-76 B.C. Reference: Hendin 469 Anchor, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (of King Alexander). Star of eight rays surrounded by diadem, between the rays, (Yehonatan the King). * Numismatic Note: This type of coin is known to bible history as the "Widow's Mite". Synoptic Gospels (Mark 12:38-44, Luke 20:45-47,21:1-4) where Jesus was teaching in the Temple of Jerusalem. In the story a poor widow woman gives her last 2 mites, the least valuable coins of the time. And Jesus points out that even though she gave very little, she gave her all, where some had a lot more and gave very little in comparison to their blessings.

Decentius - Roman Caesar: 351-353 A.D. Bronze Double-Centenionalis or AE1 26mm (7.64 grams) Trier mint 352 A.D. Reference: RIC 319 D N DECENTI VS FORT CAES, draped and cuirassed bust right, SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES, chi-rho flanked by the Alphan (A) and Omenga (W); TRP in exergue. The Chi-Rho is the monogram of Jesus Christ. The A and W on the left represent the Alpha and Omega which Christ was described as in the book of Revelations.

Byzantine EmpireAnonymous Class G Bronze Follis 26mm (7.49 grams) Struck during the reign of Romanus IV, Diogenes - Byzantine Emperor: 1 January 1068 A.D. - 19 August 1071 A.D. Reference: Sear 1867 Bust of Christ facing , wearing a nimbus crown, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, scroll; to left, IC; to right, XC; border of large pellets. Facing bust of the Virgin orans, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; to left, MP; to right, ΘV; border of large pellets. For more than a century, the production of Follis denomination Byzantine coins had religious Christian motifs which included included Jesus Christ, and even Virgin Mary. These coins were designed to honor Christ and recognize the subservient role of the Byzantine emperor, with many of the reverse inscriptions translating to "Jesus Christ King of Kings" and "May Jesus Christ Conquer". The Follis denomination coins were the largest bronze denomination coins issued by the Byzantine empire, and their large size, along with the Christian motif make them a popular coin type for collectors. This series ran from the period of Byzantine emperors John I (969-976 A.D.) to Alexius I (1081-1118 A.D.). The accepted classification was originally devised by Miss Margaret Thompson with her study of these types of coins. World famous numismatic author, David R. Sear adopted this classification system for his book entitled, Byzantine Coins and Their Values. The references about this coin site Mr. Sear's book by the number that they appear in that work. The class types of coins included Class A1, Class A2, Class B, Class C, Class D, Class E, Class F,Class G, Class H, Class I, Class J, Class K. Read more and see examples of these coins by reading the JESUS CHRIST Anonymous Class A-N Byzantine Follis Coins Reference. Click here to see all the Jesus Christ Anonymous Follis coins for sale.Click here to see all coins bearing Jesus Christ or related available for sale.